Single Review: The Ready Set’s “Higher”

The Ready Set has a serious knack for writing songs that are straight up adorable and his newest release, “Higher”, joins the ranks of his other lovey-dovey works. He’s definitely got another infectious hit on his hands.

Electronic keyboards, acoustic-like guitars and slightly there drums are paired with the more-than-occasional hand clap and trance-inducing dance beats to bring the lyrics to life. “Higher” is almost like the middle ground between “Love Like Woe” and “Give Me Your Hand”, but everything about it is pure original The Ready Set.

In the absolute most complimentary way possible, “Higher” is a combination of Carly Rae Jepsen‘s “Call Me Maybe” and One Direction‘s “What Makes You Beautiful” but is more along the lines of We the Kings‘ “Say You Like Me” (let that comparison just settle in your head for a bit). It’s a song about falling in love with a special someone over and over again and each time is completely different (which is perfectly embodied by “can’t find the way to say/without a thousand words”). Each time, the lovers see each other in a new light and “get on top and take it higher” (whether you see that line as a sexual reference is up to you).

In a way, “Higher” is almost like an unofficial “Give Me Your Hand (Best Song Ever)” Part 2 simply because of the lines “this feeling can’t be wrong/like it’s so good it hurts/I’ve never heard this song/but it’s like I know the words.” However, there is a sense of not completely believing that you’ve got someone great on your hands with “both eyes shut tight/don’t wake me up/if it’s in my head/it’s real enough.” It’s like everything is completely unreal (“we can watch this world spin from above) but being with this person is equivalent to what accomplishing your dreams feels like (“now we’re swinging from the stars we were reaching for”). In the end, he kind of reminds us that we shouldn’t forget what made us fall for that person and that we shouldn’t take them for granted.

“Higher” is literally what puppies, cupcakes and double rainbows would be in song form. You always know what you’re getting from The Ready Set and it’s nice to see that he’s adamant on sticking to the songwriting style that got him famous. This song will at least keep the fans at bay until he releases The Bad & the Better in May.

I'm a Journalism/Communication Studies graduate of Azusa Pacific University and live in the heart of the music industry. I can never turn down an opportunity to go to a show, I listen to my music way too loud, and I pretty much have the oddest music taste in the world.